Prime Minister Imran Khan and President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa held a one-on-one meeting at Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. The two leaders discussed the significance of Pak-Sri Lankan relations with a history of friendship and cooperation in diverse fields. The two sides also exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international importance.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday inviting the Sri Lankan businessmen to invest in Pakistan said trade connectivity among the countries of Asian sub-continent was vital for poverty alleviation. Addressing at Pakistan-Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Conference held in Colombo which he jointly chaired with his Sri Lanka counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa, Imran Khan proposed establishing trade links, as existed among the European countries, which he said could prove beneficial for the prosperity of Asian sub-continent. Imran Khan and Mahinda Rajapaksa led their business delegations at the Conference held in a bid to explore avenues of collaboration in diverse fields. The Prime Minister, who is in Colombo on a two-day official visit, said political stability in the region by maintaining good relations with neighbouring countries ensured business-friendly environment that resulted in an overall development of the people. He said Pakistan and Sri Lanka could explore the idea of generating wealth through joint business activities and diverting the wealth to alleviate poverty. Imran Khan offered the Sri Lankan businessmen to explore the immense opportunities offered by the government of Pakistan in the form of ease-of-doing business. He said his government would welcome and facilitate investment from the island nation.
The Prime Minister mentioned that as Pakistan and Sri Lanka both suffered the brunt of terrorism in the past, their journey together towards development could make a difference. He expressed intent for Pakistan to learn from Sri Lanka’s advanced tourism industry and mentioned that he made the tourism minister part of his delegation to explore the area. Imran Khan said Pakistan had a lot of undiscovered sites of religious tourism including the Gandhara civilization and trails of Buddhism, adding that a recently discovered 40-feet-long Sleeping Buddha could be of special interest for Sri Lankan tourists. He said joining the Belt and Road Initiative could open up new avenues for Sri Lanka with an opportunity to connect from Gwadar up to Central Asian states. He expressed with satisfaction the professional emergence of Sri Lankan cricket team that had won the world cup at Pakistan’s home ground Lahore.
Sohail Ali Khan
Islamabad
